American indie rock bands Minus the Bear, Circa Survive and Now, Now sold out Freebird Live March 25 for four hours of rock ’n’ roll.

Minus the Bear is co-headlining the Waves Overhead tour with Circa Survive for the release of its fifth album “Infinity Overhead.”

Dozens of Pabst Blue Ribbons were thrust into the air as concert goers stood shoulder to shoulder in unanimous agreement of a stellar show.

The threesome from Minnesota, Now, Now, started the night off with a great performance and even sported neon pink Jacksonville Beach tank tops.

Now, Now emits a shoegaze feel with its dreamy, delicate vocal melodies blended with effects of guitars, drums and synthesizers.

The high-energy set catapulted the several intrepid souls into the inevitable moshing and crowd surfing, while some tried to enjoy the music without worrying about getting assaulted.

Crowd surfing was highly encouraged by the energetic lead singer of Philadelphia’s Circa Survive, Anthony Green.

“Let yourself go!” Green screamed. “Fuck Mondays! Stop acting like it’s fucking Monday.”

After Circa Survive’s amped up performance, Green invited everyone out to go swim naked in the ocean.

Minus the Bear started its set with “Steel and Blood,” a song where two become one in the cacophony of a bourbon-soaked car crash.

Soon after Minus the Bear hit the stage, the moshing and crowd surfing stopped, and people enjoyed the music through non-violent dance.

Minus the Bear also delved into older albums and played the crowd’s favorites from “Highly Refined Pirates,” “Menos el Oso,” “Planet of Ice” and “Omni.”

Towards the end of the show, Minus the Bear played the single from which the album is named, “Infinity Overhead”: “Liquid concrete under our feet/Trippin' on the constellations we see/Diamond lightning/Seeing where seams …More

Jacksonville native and award-winning vocalist Lauren Elise was featured on the side of a race truck on Feb. 22 during the NextEra Energy Resources 250, a Camping World Truck Series event at Daytona. Elise’s photo appeared on the side of Jennifer Jo Cobb’s No. 10 Koma Unwind Chevrolet truck at Daytona International Speedway.

Elise, 16, currently has airplay on gospel radio stations but is hoping to cross over to country radio. She will be appearing at the next NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ky., on June 27 along with Cobb’s race team.

Elise is known for her outreach program, “Be Significant” #PositiveImpact campaign. Her campaign is designed to offer a voice of change and hope for those affected by bullying or thoughts of suicide.

For more information on Elise or her “Be Significant” campaign, visit laurenelisemusic.com and besignificantcampaign.com.More

Katt Williams' show tonight (Feb. 8), planned for Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, was canceled due to weather conditions, according to a news release from SMG.

His travel arrangements from the West Coast to the East Coast were changed, preventing him from performing in Jacksonville.

Refunds are available at the point of purchase, according to the statement. For more information, contact the Veterans Memorial Arena at 630-3900.More

The Cummer Ball gala will feature chandeliers and glasswork from 36 Jacksonville University glass and ceramics program students, faculty and alumni on March 16 at The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens in Riverside.

The chandeliers will be sold at a live auction during the event with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the museum.

“I’m into engaged learning opportunities, and this is that and more. It allows the students to display what they’ve done, and then to have it critiqued directly in the marketplace, with a sale being the best final critique,” said Brian Frus, a JU assistant professor of glass, according to a press release from the university.

The auction will feature 21-year-old students Aly Volk’s “Iceburst” and Kayla Socha’s “Silly Lilly.”

“I love that we got to do this. We don’t get an opportunity like this anywhere else, to show our work,” Socha said.

Any chandeliers not sold during the ball will be sold at the Cummer’s store afterward.

Donald Mills has five different chandeliers being auctioned off, including “Green Room,” “Plum Purdy” and “Autumn Vines.” Mills said he feels more accomplished knowing that there is a utilitarian aspect to his project.

The ball begins with cocktails at 6 p.m., then the live auction follows at 7 p.m. The evening will continue with dinner and dancing and live music from the Tangee Renee band.

For more information on the JU Glass and Ceramic program visit http://www.ju.edu/cfa. To learn more about the 2013 Cummer Ball, visit http://www.cummer.org/2013-cummer-ball.More

I couldn’t wait to see the film “Billy Elliot” after its release in 2000. The irresistible story of an 11-year-old boy who discovers ballet to escape the hard realities of a decaying English mining town and the energetic, aggressive dancing spoke to my predilection for British accents and musicals.

When it became a staged musical in 2005, I lumped it in with the pile of productions recycled from old movies. Sure, many of those have been good, but most of them have not broken new ground. Even with music by Elton John, it wasn’t high on my list.

So, I didn’t have high expectations when I saw the touring production of “Billy Elliot the Musical” at the Times-Union Center for Performing Arts Feb. 26.

Instead, I was blown away.

It’s rare to see a musical that stretches the medium, but “Billy Elliot the Musical” does just that. Instead of simply telling the story from the movie, the creative team reimagined the narrative as if it were originally being told in the musical format.

It probably helps that the original production was directed by Stephen Daldry and choreographed by Peter Darling, the same team behind the movie.

The songs aren’t particularly memorable; you won’t find yourself singing them to yourself as you walk out of the theater. But the music drives the fantastic staging and unbridled choreography throughout.

The first scenes are a bit slow, but once the dancing starts, it’s mesmerizing. “Solidarity” acts as a montage of Billy’s growth from clumsy boxer to ballet prodigy set against the growing clashes between police and striking miners. The scene juxtaposes pixie ballerinas and rugged miners as they intertwine in one building dramatic conflict.

When Grandma tells Billy about her complex relationship with his late grandpa during “We’d Go Dancing,” we see their feisty, flirtatious relationship played out in a bar full of …More

Although they’ve been around since 2009, the indie rock band Dead Stars, is beginning to make more noise than ever.

The three-piece band — cousins and Jacksonville natives Jeff and Jaye Moore and friend John Watterberg from Albuquerque, N.M. — just finished recording their second album, "High Gain." The five-song EP is set to drop June 4.

Dead Stars has recently gained notoriety after the single "Waste Away” was featured on MTV Hive’s website.

But guitarist Jeff Moore says he's taking the recent publicity with a grain of salt.

"It’s great. The ultimate goal, of course, is for as many people to hear your music as possible. You obviously want to enjoy what you do, and you want other people to hear it. Any time people are paying attention it’s cool. … I just want to keep on going and keep making music. Whatever happens, happens. We’ve been doing this for a while … so you try to not get too excited or too bummed either way. Whether things are good or bad you just try and keep going,” he said.

When asked what type of genre Dead Stars fits into, Jeff said that although they joke about being “nerd grunge,” they consider themselves more of a fuzz pop or indie rock band, but that there’s really no right answer.

“There’s so many different kinds of music put under the indie umbrella now, but I just feel that for us [it’s] just having that simple set up of drums, bass, guitar and vocals, of course. I like to explore what we can in that minimalist type of setup.”

The band finds a lot of inspiration from bands both old and new. Growing up, The Beatles were one of these inspirations.

Today, they listen to a variety of bands. The combination of older bands from the late '80s and early '90s, like Dinosaur Jr. and newer bands, such as Yuck, provide inspiration in finding their own, unique sound.

Writing the songs themselves is very …More

Three years ago, Dead Tank Records closed its doors and Josh Jubinsky began focusing on his highest priority: family.

“Selling records at shows, touring with a band or trying to operate a store and job at the same time,” Jubinsky said in an email interview. He felt he could not properly put family as his top priority.

Working at the Main Library in the children’s department for almost 10 years now, Jubinsky says, “it’s very helpful to have a steady job and a great place to work. I’m really lucky in that regard.”

Now, Jubinsky and Dead Tank are back with upcoming releases are already in the works. A 7” split involving musicians Captive Bolt and author Gary Francione is nearly complete as the B-side is already available on their site deadtankrecords.wordpress.com. “It should be out in June,” Jubinsky said.

With the hiatus set in motion as his daughter was born, passions were shifted for Jubinsky. “As far as ‘true passions’ go, I’d say raising my daughter takes the cake.” However, music is still very important to Jubinsky as he wants to impress that upon his growing child.

Also in the works, Emperor X will be set to release a record after his return from Europe, where he is currently touring. “Right now, we’re still ironing out the details for the record, and actually he’s very busy having a great time on tour in Europe.”

Family man, record producer and a builder of his own furniture, Jubinsky looks to create that perfect balance where family is his No. 1 priority as he continues his grand music endeavors.More

The St. Johns Cultural Council honors women in the community for making significant contributions in the arts with its fifth annual Recognizing Outstanding Women in the Arts (ROWITA) ceremony at 6 p.m. March 10 in the Black Box of the Limelight Theatre in St. Augustine.

These women will be honored and recognized during the program followed by a reception. The keynote speaker is Jean Rahner, co-founder of Limelight. The 2013 winners are Diane Bradley, Debbie McDade, Patti Rang, Mary Siess and Wendy Tatter.

Bradley is an educator of the arts and a visual artist who is passionate about youth involvement in the art world. For the past eight years, Bradley has jointly presented the Annual All-County High School and Middle School Arts Show alongside the St. Johns County Schools. Bradley also led to the creation of the annual Tactile Show for the blind and visually impaired, which is now in its 12th year. Bradley continues to donate her time and efforts to the St. Augustine Art Association by managing their biggest fundraiser, the annual Spring and Fall Art and Craft Festivals and the Nature and Wildlife Exhibition.

McDade is a jazz singer who went to New York as a teenager to pursue her career. McDade is listed in the Encyclopedia of Jazz, and she adopted the stage name Debby Moore, which was given to her by Louis Armstrong. McDade released her record, My Kind of Blues in 1959. McDade sang alongside American jazz pianist Earl “Fatha” Hines and has also starred in movies while working in Japan. McDade is active in community efforts, while serving a board member of Excelsior Museum and Cultural Center and the Foot Soldiers Memorial Project.

Rang has been a cultural advocate and re-enactor in the creation and organization of events to celebrate the colonial life of St. Augustine for more than 30 years. She is a leader and contributing member of the East Florida Rangers and the 60th Regiment of Foot in local and regional events. Rang wrote a cookbook …More

In the celebration of the 500th anniversary of Ponce de Leon’s arrival in St. Augustine, Cathedral Arts Projects students will perform their interpretations of what it’s like to live in Florida — April 27 and 28 at the University of North Florida’s Lazzara Performance Hall.

CAP presents its annual production with the theme “Viva Florida” as Northeast Florida students showcase their talents in theater, ballet, step, ballroom dance, African dance, violin, ukulele, percussion and chorus.

The young performers’ creativity has stemmed through their own exploration of Florida’s history and natural beauty, said the Rev. Kimberly Hyatt, executive director of the Cathedral Arts, in a press release.

Performances are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. April 27 and 2 p.m. April 28 at the Lazzara Performance Hall. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door.

CAP is the largest free afterschool program in Duval County for students participating in the performing arts. CAP is funded in part by The City of Jacksonville; Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville; State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; and the National Endowment for the Arts, according to CAP.More

Life was good for Orlando business owner Dan Ellis in the spring of 2009. He had a wonderful marriage, three happy children and a successful printing business. But by that fall, he’d begun to slur words and suspected something was seriously wrong with his health. Ellis was diagnosed with progressive ALS, a debilitating terminal illness also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in 2010.

The 18-minute short documentary film, “Dan Behind His Eyes,” chronicles Ellis’ time spent creating giant paintings with his daughter Gina in 2011, by which time he had lost nearly all muscle control and could only communicate using a Dynavox eye movement sensor. The film will premiere at the World Arts Film Festival at the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville on April 11.

“I wanted to use art and music and color. Dan surrounded himself with art, and that’s who he was,” said Sheri Kebbel, the film’s director and producer. “So this film, I wanted it to be so that people would not look away. That it was not so ugly and so hard in knowing that it was a terminal illness to where they have this feeling of ‘Well, what do you want me to do about it?’”

Kebbel filmed the Ellis family from November 2010 until March 2012, just a few months before Dan Ellis lost his battle with ALS last June. In addition to the short documentary “Dan Behind His Eyes,” Kebbel directed and produced an hour-long, feature-length film which follows Ellis’ interactions with family and friends and his artistic collaborations with his children and hip-hop rapper MC Serch while in the grip of progressive ALS. The feature film is currently in post-production and will be submitted to film festivals in the fall.

Kebbel will join Kevin Boylan, medical director and founder of the ALS clinic at Mayo Clinic in Florida, and Kim Hanna, president and CEO of the ALS Association Florida Chapter, for a short question and …More